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Rheumatoid Arthritis Medications

By: Amy Clark

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Even though there is no actual cure for RA or rheumatoid arthritis at present, there are a range of available drugs in the market that are designed to relieve its symptoms and eventually improve the patient's condition.

Generally, RA medications can be categorized into distinctive categories, as described below. Doctors will likely design a proper medical treatment to manage pain and inflammation of the joints, as well as avert cell damage in the joints. Often, effective treatment can be achieved through a combination of these options:

Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs or NSAIDs

Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs, abbreviated as NSAIDs, work in relieving pain and reducing inflammation, but don't function to prevent further joint. Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs block the human body from producing a substance called prostaglandins, which is primarily responsible for inflammation and pain.

Examples of these are naproxen (Naprosyn, Aleve) and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin). Other examples include ketoprofen (Orudis), etodolac (Lodine), meloxicam (Mobic), Celecoxib (Celebrex), oxaprozin (Daypro), indomethacin diclofenac (Cataflam and Voltaren), nabumetone (Relafen), and piroxicam (Feldene).

NSAIDs are regularly prescribed as soon as a definite rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis is made. But remember that when consumed in excessive dosages for prolonged periods, these drugs can cause adverse side effects, including stomach ulcers, stomach bleeding, plus potential damage to the liver and kidney.

Corticosteroids

Another group of rheumatoid arthritis medication is corticosteroids. These drugs suppress the immune system, thus managing inflammation.

Betamethasone (Celestone Soluspan), methylprednisolone (SoluMedrol, DepoMedrol), Cortisone (Cortone), dexamethasone (Decadron), triamcinolone (Aristocort), prednisolone (Delta-Cortef), and prednisone (Deltasone, Orasone), are corticosteroids.

Though corticosteroids are successful in treating RA, they are said to cause negative side effects when used in extended periods of time. Examples of such side effects include glaucoma, easy bruising, cataracts, diabetes, excessive weight gain, and thinning bones.

Owing to the potential for adverse side effects, such medications are often only used as a momentary solution to control sudden outbreaks of the disease. On the positive side, just one injection of corticosteroids is able to inhabit joint inflammation lasting for a long period of time.

DMARDs or Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs

Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (a.k.a. DMARDs) are a class of drugs that serve to suppress your immune system from attacking the joints, ultimately retarding further joint damage. When treating rheumatoid arthritis, DMARDs are commonly taken alongside other medications for more successful results.

Rheumatoid arthritis commonly causes permanent joint damage, which becomes apparent at the beginning. Consequently, the majority of medical specialists would prescribe DMARDs soon after diagnosis. You are most responsive to DMARD treatment during the early stages of RA. The sooner DMARDs are consumed, the more advantageous it is for the RA sufferer.

Some DMARD examples are cyclosporine (Sandimmune, Neoral), methotrexate (Rheumatrex), hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil), gold salts (Myochrysine, Solganal, Aurolate, Ridaura), penicillamine (Cuprimine), cyclophosphamide, azathioprine (Imuran), minocycline, leflunomide (Arava), and sulfasalazine (Azulfidine).

Although a number of DMARD products have been successful in RA treatment, the risks for adverse side effects is enormous. Using DMARDs for a long time can set off liver and bone marrow toxicity, propensity for infections, allergies (e.g. skin), and even autoimmunity.

Among the examples of DMARDs listed above, hydroxychloroquine has the lowest potential for causing bone marrow and liver toxicity, and is consequently considered as 1 of the safest DMARDs. On the other hand, hydroxychloroquine isn't an especially powerful medication and is not strong enough on its own to curtail rheumatoid arthritis.

Conversely, methotrexate is deemed as one of the most powerful DMARD types in treating RA because of various factors. Methotrexate has been known to fight RA without causing liver and bone marrow toxicity like other DMARDs. Additionally, methotrexate is effective and safe when used in combination with biological agents, another classification of RA drugs discussed below. Therefore, these medications are commonly prescribed together with certain biological agents if methotrexate does not adequately treat rheumatoid arthritis on its own. But keep in mind that although methotrexate is not as potentially unsafe as others, it still can obstruct the bone marrow or set off hepatitis. If this happens, taking regular blood tests are advised to check one's condition, and to stop treatment at the first hints of problems.

Biological Agents

Biological drugs or biological agents serve to reduce inflammation through a variety of methods.

One example of how biological agents work is by inhibiting tumor necrosis factors (TNFs). Etanercept (Enbrel), infliximab (Remicade), and adalimumab (Humira) are some examples of TNF blockers.

Another example of how biological agents treat inflammation is through killing B cells. Rituxan (Rituximab), in particular, binds itself to B cells, hence killing them.

Further medications that reduce inflammation in their own way are:

- tocilizumab (RoActemra, Actemra), blocks IL-6 or interleukin
- anakinra (e.g. Kineret), works by blocking IL-1 (interleukin 1)
- abatacept (i.e. Orencia), which serves to block T-cells

You should consider that every biological agent has its own potential for negative side effects. The potential for side effects must be considered when administering it to any patient.

Salicylates

Salicylates serve to reduce prostaglandins production in the human body. Prostaglandins produce arthritis inflammation and pain. In recent times, these drugs have been widely replaced with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), primarily since salicylates cause negative side effects, e.g. potential damage to the kidney.

Pain Relief Medications

Finally, several pain relief medications can likewise be taken in rheumatoid arthritis treatment. Some pain relief drugs include tramadol (Ultram) and acetaminophen (Tylenol).

While anti-pain medications neither lessen inflammation nor delay joint damage progression, they allow the individual achieve a sense of comfort and ultimately function better in his/her daily life. It is because of this that anti-pain medications are certainly worth mentioning.

Surgery as a Last Resort

If the medications listed above prove ineffective, your physician may recommend surgery. Examples of surgeries meant to treat rheumatoid arthritis are tendon repair, synovectomy (removal of the joint lining), as well as arthroplasty or joint replacement surgery, wherein the damaged areas of the joint are replaced with prosthetics.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

To grab your Free Arthritis Relief Guide, and to read more articles related to Rheumatoid Arthritis Medications, please visit this arthritis website.

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